From Independence to Freedom....

It's that time of the year again...when some of us, at least, are brought face to face with our nationality and whether or not it means anything beyond a stamp on your passport (and now racist attacks in Oz...) And when, for even fewer of us, the words Jai Hind have a poignant note to them. Or may be there I'm being obscenely hopeful considering i now realise that an unfortunate number of us don't even remember the lyrics of our national anthem let's not even spare a though for the author of it...!! (jusy for reference it's that song they played before they started the movie you went to watch.)

But then again what's the point of knowing all that? It's not like it's of any practical importance in today's world....

And I know it’s probably a cliché to write a post about independence on I-Day, but hey, we’re all allowed to be a little stereotypical! After all, 62 years ago today India claimed independence for itself and its people and at least then it was something to celebrate about. Freedom, however, was another matter....

I think it was Bhagat Singh who’d said the words I’d read as a young kid in school that very poignantly said (pls try a little to get this cos the words pretty much lose their effect in any language apart from hindi):

“Shaheedon ki chitaon par lagenge har baras mele,

Watan par mar mit walon ka yahi baaki nishan hoga....”

It was true then and it is true today. Brave, I would say is the man who chooses to die for his country despite knowing this.

But today, as very often before, I wonder, what is the meaning of patriotism in this age of independence? (Annual Independence Day quiz!!) Today it is the honour or otherwise of the select few we call the security forces to die for our country. And that can hardly be presumed to mean that we all sign up for it! So what do I have to do today to show my love for my motherland? Or may be it’s a question of who I have to be....?

But today.... I find myself choosing not to wonder....today i want to be a cliche. I only want to step back and salute the Brave and be devoutly thankful to those who died so that I may get the chance to live this day. Today, irrespective of what it means to be one, I want to be proud to be an Indian. And today, my hopes, dreams and prayers for India resound in Tagore’s words...

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,

Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake....”

CATCH 22!!

It was a big day for PB. The proverbial bird was finally ready to fly the cage....To join the federations of Big Flying Birds; to chase its dreams; to soar!!

And it would....

Except there's this big board hanging outside its cage severely stating 'No Flying, You Stupid Bird,Till You Get Experience'

And the confused bird scratches its downy head, wondering___'what the hell do i do now???'

Because what the experience-seekers are unwilling to grant is that to get flying experience you need to fly. But if he doesn't get experience how will he ever fly??

So poor PB shakes his head in confusion and watches the others fly, hoping somebody will hover somewhere near him for long enough so he can squawk loudly and ask for help.

When they said 'fly, the sky is your land' Nobody ever mentioned the damn net you've to cut through or it'll cut through you!!!

I wonder what Jonathan L. Seagull would have told PB....

Does anybody know?

And Thus The Swine Flew....

No prizes for guessing what the latest Indian obsession is....all hail the swine of all flus!!

I don't know about the rest of the country but our part of it is grinding to a bloody halt thanks to the damn virus! Schools, colleges, markets___ you name it and they've brought their shutters down. We live in constant fear of contracting the virus that in our heads has become deadlier than the HIV or the Hepatitis virus, no matter where we are. The damn thing is stalking us like the rod of divine redemption!!

But, of course, every cloud has a silver lining. If nothing else the media has found an indefatigable mine of news for a long while to come___ cursing the virus, pitying the people, cursing the administration, hailing the brave____ and so the see-saw shall dip and sway all the way to the bank. No matter if the doctors and those in the know shout themselves hoarse trying to tell us to calm down we're not listening. After all, look what the papers say!! Only the headline matters. Who cares if of the thousands being tested only a few actually test positive?! {People, the virus will spread, it's what viruses do!!}

I'm not saying the virus is not a threat but it is far from incurable and thus hardly qualifies as an epidemic! It makes one wonder how real the "epidemic", in fact, is and how much of it is media creation? Unfortunately there are too many only too happy to jump on to the bandwagon.... :-/

What happened to the days of responsible journalism, does anybody know?